The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) recently tested about 250 toys and children’s accessories from local Bay Area and San Diego retailers, including Target, WalMart, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Sears, Walgreens and other stores this fall and then had said toys tested for lead (pdf). Although lead has been banned from toys here in the US, seven of the toys were found to contain high levels of lead including a seemingly innocent, Mattel Barbie bicycle accessory set and a Disney “Tinker Bell” necklace set.

While the bike accessories and necklace contained the most lead, the CHE also found levels of lead …read more

Last year I religiously covered the holiday shopping season because I was extremely worried about what toys were really out there. This year it seems as if all the hoopla is over. Natural Toys have become mainstream, companies have been testing, and parents are more cautious.
But, are those unsafe toys off the shelves? According to Kate Barrett with ABC News, it’s possible that those toys are still out there. Although “huge changes have altered toy safety laws” it does not mean every toy is off the shelf.
A new bill signed in August will take effect in February. So, to avoid …read more